A compound archery bow typically comprises a rigid center riser, a handle grip and a pair of flexible limbs extending from the opposing end portions of the riser. The compound bow has the bow string attached to one or more pulleys (cams), + the pulleys to turn. This causes the pulleys to pull the cables, which in turn causes the limbs to bend and thus store energy. A single cam bow typically includes a wheel mounted to the upper limb and a cam assembly mounted to the lower limb (the terms upper and lower are purely for convenience of description). A dual cam bow includes a cam assembly on each of the upper and lower limbs. Power or tension cables are also connected between the two limbs via the cams and wheels. The cam assembly provides a mechanical advantage.
Proper stringing and tensioning of the bow strings and cables is important for achieving optimum performance. The bow string, and cables are adjusted to set the proper cam positioning and the desired length, by changing the position or replacing the draw module mounted to the cam assembly of the bow. Adjustments and maintenance also may be performed as the bow, materials in the limb, bow string and power cable change due to age and use. Other adjustments and maintenance may be performed to replace components such as the bow string or power cable; to add accessories to the bow such as a peepsight or silencer; or to change or modify other components. It is sometimes necessary or desirable to perform these operations in the field, often under adverse conditions.
Since the bow string and power cables are constantly under tension, repair work or maintenance on the bow, cam and strings or cables themselves requires a compressive force to squeeze or compress the bow limbs together and provide slack in the bow string or cables. Typically, a bow press is used for this purpose. A bow press is often relatively large and heavy, and usually is located in a repair shop and is not readily available in the field. Without a bow press, adjustments or repair to equipment in the field are difficult or impossible to perform.
One solution has been to provide a portable bow press, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,022,377 to Stevens and U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,385 to Fredrickson. Another proposed solution is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,397 to Saunders and U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,409 to Smith, which disclose apparatus for use in the restringing of a compound bow which include a number of hooks attachable to string segments of the bow.